November 5
A bit out of order, but November 5 was actually pretty productive. I had good numbers for all the usual species, especially Bufflehead for which it was my best day as of yet. Another highlight was an adult Golden Eagle migrating south near the bridge. I’m thankful to Darrell who covered for me on November 6 so Steve Baker, Jack & Bev Kirby, and I could go see the Fork-tailed Flycatcher in Menominee, MI — the third state record!
Mallard – 3
Redhead – 185
Greater Scaup – 10
White-winged Scoter – 64
Long-tailed Duck – 463
Bufflehead – 80
Common Goldeneye – 19
Common Merganser – 1
Red-breasted Merganser – 26
duck sp. – 193
Red-throated Loon – 1
Common Loon – 6
Horned Grebe – 2
Red-necked Grebe – 7
Double-crested Cormorant – 2
Golden Eagle – 1
Northern Harrier – 4
Bald Eagle – 2
Red-tailed Hawk – 1
Rough-legged Hawk – 1
November 7
In contrast to the 5th, today was very slow. It reminded me of the days in early August in terms of slowness, but also in terms of nice weather. I still saw some nice species diversity, including my best day for American Black Ducks with an impressive 5 birds.
American Black Duck – 5
Mallard – 6
Redhead – 12
White-winged Scoter – 25
Black Scoter – 2
Surf/Black Scoter – 1
Long-tailed Duck – 133
Common Goldeneye – 3
Common Merganser – 2
Red-breasted Merganser – 20
duck sp. – 125
Common Loon – 3
Horned Grebe – 4
Red-necked Grebe – 2
Double-crested Cormorant – 1
Bald Eagle – 2
Photos of the Fork-tailed Flycatcher — not very relevant to the count or Straits area, but relevant for Michigan’s avifauna history.
